A look back at the best films of 2012

Thursday

Jan 3, 2013 at 12:01 AM

With the passing of 2012 and the new year here, it's time to look back at the best films of the past year.

By Rob MooreFor the Herald-Journal

With the passing of 2012 and the new year here, it's time to look back at the best films of the past year.The year ended up being one of the more interesting and better film years in recent history. Of course, a few notable films released at the end of 2012, including “Zero Dark Thirty,” “The Impossible” and “Amour,” haven't been shown here yet, so they are not considered for this list.

1. “Silver Linings Playbook” (David O. Russell)Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro.Russell's comedy-drama about a man just released from a mental institution trying to find his way in a new life and mysterious woman he meets is pure gold. Beautifully written and featuring exceptional performances from Cooper, De Niro and Lawrence, this is a movie of laughs, sadness, rage, confusion and everything in between, and it's impossible to dislike.

2. “Django Unchained” (Quentin Tarantino)Starring: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson.Tarantino's tale of a slave-turned bounty hunter looking to free his wife from a villainous plantation owner is pure movie dynamite. It's Tarantino's most electric work in years, and features a stoic turn from Foxx, ethereal strength from Washington and sly turns from Waltz and DiCaprio.

3. “The Master” (Paul Thomas Anderson)Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Amy AdamsAnderson's story of a would-be religious leader and his rebellious potential follower is another triumph from the writer-director, with everything anchored by Phoenix and Hoffman.

4. “Argo” (Ben Affleck)Starring: Ben Affleck, Alan Arkin, John GoodmanBased on a true story of a plan to concoct a fake movie in an attempt to extract U.S. embassy members during the Iranian hostage crisis of the 1970s, Affleck shows he's the real deal as a director.

5. “Lincoln” (Steven Spielberg)Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones.Day-Lewis completely embodies the president in this understated, smartly written account of the man's attempts to pass the 13th Amendment.

6. “Skyfall” (Sam Mendes)Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Judi Dench.The best James Bond film in years features great work from Craig, Dench, and one of the series' best villains in Bardem's Silva.